January 17, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 07, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 16: The Jamaat-i-Islami has condemned attempt on the life of Syed Rashid Ahmad, deputy chief of JI District Central and New Karachi, in Sector 5-E of New Karachi on Tuesday.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits, the JI termed it a conspiracy to provoke people and disturb peace in the metropolis. Like other provinces, the party said, a non-political governor in Sindh was a must to bring an end to terrorism in the city.

The party’s demand was presented by Sindh JI chief Maulana Asadullah Bhutto while speaking at a press conference at a Idara Noor-i-Haq on Wednesday afternoon.

Flanked by Birjees Ahmad, Nasrullah Shaji, Yunus Barai, Muhammad Iqbal and Muslim Pervez, he said that who the culprits were was an open secret.

He said that a particular organisation, patronised by President Pervez Musharraf, was responsible for destroying the city’s peace. He said scores of leaders and workers of the JI and Islami Jamiat Tulaba were targeted. However, he said, the party had never resorted to violence despite the killing of their leaders and activists as it did not believe in violence.

He pointed out that neither their FIR was being registered by police nor law-enforcement agencies had taken any initiative to arrest the culprits.

He said that the party would stage a protest demonstration on Thursday outside the Karachi Press Club against the indifferent attitude of police and authorities concerned.

Holding the president responsible for all the bloodshed in the country, he said that it was Mr Musharraf who had used this organisation to teach a lesson to the people of Karachi on May 12, 2007.

He said that those dreaming of solo flight to the throne wanted to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorism before the February 18 general elections so that they could get a free hand to rig the polls.

The JI leader said that at present life and property of people was not safe and observed that law and order could not be restored in the country as long as Musharraf was in power.

In reply to a question, he said that six blasts on a single day in different parts of the country spoke volumes of nefarious designs of those behind the terrorist activities.

Earlier, he gave details of the attack on Syed Rashid Ahmad.